Hot Springs board previews Feb. 4 agenda: public-safety pay tables, CRC upgrades, infrastructure projects and zoning change

The City of Hot Springs Board of Directors reviewed multiple items at an agenda meeting and scheduled them for formal consideration at its Feb. 4, 2025 regular meeting at City Hall.

Finance Director Karen Scott told the board the 2025 approved budget included raises for all employees and described a staff recommendation to amend pay tables for public-safety personnel so uniformed employees step up one grade in the first pay period of the fiscal year, matching nonuniformed staff.

The amendment would accelerate step increases for police and fire personnel hired before Jan. 1, 2025, to be effective on the March 6, 2025 pay date unless they already advanced during the fiscal year. Scott said staff did not propose a budget increase at this time and would monitor expenditures and bring a midyear amendment if necessary. "The 2025 approved budget included raises for all employees," Scott said as she reviewed the item.

Why it matters: Changing step timing affects pay timing for police and fire employees and could shift payroll expenditures earlier in the fiscal year; staff said vacancy savings in those departments are expected to partially offset the cost.

The board also reviewed a staff request to apply for a $225,000 Blue & You Foundation grant to finance renovations at the Community Resource Center (CRC). Grants writer Sarah Delozier said the CRC needs separate men’s and women’s shower/locker rooms, a laundry facility, kitchen upgrades and safety improvements to support warming and cooling center activations and other services.

Delozier said the city has invested more than $1.3 million in the CRC, largely from CDBG and other grants, and that the Blue & You award would not require a local match. She told the board the city also submitted an Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) application on Jan. 13, 2025 that includes $51,400 designated for remodeling; the Blue & You request would complement that work. If awarded, Delozier said, the funds would be coordinated with a soon-to-be-hired CRC director.

Infrastructure and procurement items on the agenda include several staff recommendations to purchase equipment and award contracts through cooperative or sole-source procurements.

- Public Works Director Ron Seabright presented a recommendation to purchase a new street sweeper through Sourcewell at $362,105 to replace a 2006 International unit. Seabright said the sweeper’s rear cleaning unit bears the most wear and that older chassis and computerized components make parts replacement impractical. The board was told the current unit would be auctioned as surplus.

- Seabright also reviewed a $127,498.66 purchase of traffic-signal equipment from Temple Inc. to upgrade three intersections (Market & Central, Maida Court at Walmart entrance, and Grand & Convention). He said the new systems use camera detection rather than in-pavement loops, which eases future road work and replacement.

- Todd Piller, project manager, presented a planned award to Square 1 Enterprises for Phase 1 of the 2025 waterline improvement projects. The low responsive bid for planned work on Winona Street, Exchange Street, Tri Vista Right, Second Street and Whittington Avenue was $1,469,316. Piller said the city coordinates water-line replacement ahead of paving and prioritizes lines by main-break history and material upgrades to ductile iron.

Housing and grants items included a proposed substantial amendment to reprogram unencumbered CDBG funds across fiscal years 2020–2022. Planning and Development Director Cathy Selman said the city must follow Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.505(a) when amending annual action plans. Selman said the amendment would repurpose $83,719.83 in unencumbered funds and allocate the amount to the quarantine shelter; she told the board the amendment was available for public review and that the Community Development Advisory Committee recommended approval by a 3–0 vote.

Technology and services items on the agenda included a staff recommendation to award a contract for financial-management software to BS&A Software, a cloud-hosted municipal suite. Finance Director Karen Scott said BS&A submitted the highest-scoring proposal and staff recommends a turnkey implementation contract in the amount of $726,740; Scott noted $200,000 is already budgeted for the project, meaning the additional impact in fiscal 2025 would be approximately $526,740. She said the city received five proposals and the next-highest price exceeded $1,000,000.

Regulatory and permitting items slated for Feb. 4 included a charter-transportation permit application from James Smith, doing business as VIP Transportation of Hot Springs. City Clerk Armine said Smith applied on Dec. 30 to license up to six vehicles, with plans to start operations with two. The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) held a public hearing Jan. 13 and voted 5–0 to recommend approval.

The board also received an update on an older transportation appeal: deputy city manager Lance Feiser reviewed a matter returning from a six-month tabling involving a permanent ban recommendation from the Transportation Advisory Committee for a named rider (Timothy Richard Zaleski). Feiser said TAC recommended upholding a ban but city staff suggested allowing the individual to use fixed-route service (not paratransit) because an accessible bus stop exists near his residence; staff said paratransit eligibility would still depend on origin/destination rules. Feiser reminded the board the item will be back before them with the same packet materials for a formal vote next Tuesday.

Other items to be considered: a proposed downtown residential parking program (ordinance 02504) that would limit primary-zone residential permits to one vehicle per verified address and charge a quarterly fee (as presented in staff materials, $260 per quarter for primary-zone permits, $130 per quarter for secondary-zone permits); and a zoning map amendment (ordinance 02506) to rezone about 1.088 acres at 420 Convention Boulevard to C-1 Central Business District and to amend the future land-use map to "linear commercial corridor." Selman said the Planning Commission recommended approval at its Jan. 16 meeting.

What did not happen: This session was an agenda review; no final votes were taken on the listed resolutions and ordinances. Staff recommended actions will be presented again for formal consideration and vote at the board’s Feb. 4 meeting.

Votes at a glance (scheduled for Feb. 4; no vote recorded at the agenda meeting): - Resolution R2517 — Amend pay tables for public-safety personnel (staff recommendation to adopt; financial impact to be monitored; no vote recorded at agenda meeting). - Resolution R2518 — Authorize filing/acceptance of Blue & You Foundation grant ($225,000 request for CRC upgrades; no vote recorded). - Resolution R2519 — Purchase new street sweeper via Sourcewell ($362,105; no vote recorded). - Resolution R2520 — Purchase traffic-signal equipment from Temple Inc. ($127,498.66; sole-source; no vote recorded). - Resolution R2521 — Award Phase 1 2025 Waterline Improvement Projects to Square 1 Enterprises ($1,469,316; staff recommended award; no vote recorded). - Resolution R2522 — Substantial amendment to CDBG FY2020–2022 action plans to reprogram $83,719.83 to the quarantine shelter (public-review period completed; no vote recorded). - Resolution R2523 — Approve charter-service permit for VIP Transportation (applicant: James Smith; TAC recommended 5–0; final approval scheduled Feb. 4). - Resolution R2524 — Award contract to BS&A Software for financial-management system ($726,740 recommended; budgeted funds reduce immediate impact to $526,740; no vote recorded). - Ordinance 02504 — Downtown residential parking program (fees, zones and eligibility; item returned from prior tabling; further amendments may be proposed at Feb. 4). - Ordinance 02506 — Zoning map amendment for 420 Convention Boulevard to C-1 (Planning Commission recommended approval; final vote scheduled Feb. 4).

The board said it will formally take up these items at its Feb. 4 meeting; some items were previously tabled and must be presented "exactly the way you took it" as required by procedure. Several directors asked staff to ensure packet materials explain operational details such as transit fixed-route versus paratransit eligibility, permit fee timing for the parking program, construction sequencing and traffic control plans for the waterline work, and project funding sources for the CRC and software implementations.

Ending: The board will reconvene for the Feb. 4 meeting at 6 p.m. in City Hall where staff recommendations above will be available for public comment and formal action.